Flat folded hot topping assemblies

ABSTRACT

Hot topping assemblies consist of an endless belt of hot topping material which can be folded flat for storage and opened out to use.

United States Patent Jago et al. Sept. 17, 1974 [54] FLAT FOLDED HOT TOPPING [56] References Cited ASSEMBLIES UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventors: Edward John Jago; Walter A. 2,173,871 9/1939 Zalkind 229/37 R X McCray, both of Cleveland, Ohio 3,103,046 9/1963 LaBate 249/197 3,216,689 11/1965 Carpenter 249/201 Asslgneel F088) International Limited, 3,456,914 7/1969 Konrad et 21]. 249/201 Birmingham, England 3,478,999 11/1969 Charman et al. 249 201 [22] Filed: Jam 3, 1972 3,660,122 5/1972 McCarthy 249/147 X [21] AppL NO: 214,836 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 906,478 9/1962 Great Britain 164/57 Related U App ati n a a 81,268 7/1963 France 249 197 [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 203,342, Nov. 30, 239,459 4/1965 Austria 249/197 1971, abandoned.

Primary Examiner-Robert D. Baldwin [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wo1fe, Hubbard, Leydig, Jan. 1, 1971 Great Britain 160/71 & 05311", 1111- e [52] US. Cl. 249/197 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B22d 7/10 Hot topping assemblies consist of an endless belt f [58] Fleld of Search 249/197-202, hot topping material which can be folded flat for Stop 249/106; 229/16 A, 16 R, 16 D, 37 R, 37 E; age and opened out to use 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of our application, filed Nov. 30, 1971, entitled HOT TOPPING ASSEMBLIES Ser. No. 203,342, now abandoned.

This invention relates to hot topping assemblies.

In the casting of molten metal, it is customary to delay the solidification of the topmost portions of the molten metal (referred to simply as the head metal) in order to allow feed of molten metal from the head metal to the remainder of the casting to compensate for the shrinkage on solidification. The delay must be effected either by thermally insulating the head metal against heat loss, or by supplying heat thereto, or both.

In the case of casting ingots, slabs or billets from molten metal, it is customary to pour the metal into a suitably shaped mould, and to provide, at the top of the mould, a heat-insulating or exothermic lining which serves in use to provide the desired delay of solidification of the head metal referred to above. This lining, which is referred to in either case simply as a hot top, may be present at the top of the mould either in the top of a unitary mould body or in a head box which is superimposed on a mould body to form the complete mould.

The present invention is concerned with assemblies which may constitute hot tops.

According to the present invention there is provided a hot topping assembly comprising an endless belt of hot top lining material which may be opened from a substantially flat folded two-layer configuration to an open rectangular or other polygonal configuration.

The endless belt can consist of a closed loop of flexible hot top lining material bound by at least one closed loop strap. Alternatively the endless belt may be made up of a number of linked sections of hot top lining material, the linking between the sections being effected by any convenient method. One such method is to join sections by hinge-strips of flexible material, e.g. a flexible plastics sheet material or a textile strip. Alternatively, an endless strip of flexible material may have sections of hot top lining material adhered along the whole of its length. In a further alternative, fullthickness sections of hot top lining material may be linked by thinner portions of the same material.

The number of sections of hot top lining material is most preferably four, each section corresponding to one wall of a rectangular or generally rectangular section ingot, billet or slab mould. A highly preferred configuration is that of two sections, each of which sections is divided into two further sections by a fold line or portion of lesser thickness material. If desired, the number of sections may be very high, giving an endless belt which may be expanded to line a circular-section mould. In the case of a four-section hot top assembly, the four sections may be rectangular or trapezoidal, the latter in order to allow for mould taper. if the hot top lining material is rigid, then it is preferred to use trapezoidal slabs to obtain a good fit in the mould or headbox. If the material is deformable, then rectangular sections may be used and force-fitted into place.

The hot top lining material may be exothermic or heat insulating in nature. Most preferred are heat insulating materials with a considerable degree of inherent flexibility and compressibility, in order that they may easily be pressfitted into the mould or head box cavity to be lined, and in order that rectangular sections may fit into tapered moulds or head boxes.

Such heat insulating materials generally comprise refractory filler, inorganic or organic fibre, and a binding agent. In this connection, attention is directed specifically to the materials exemplified in our copending application Ser. No. 24,021 but the invention can, of course, be applied to heat insulators or exothermic tiles of any composition.

A typical preferred hot top lining composition for use in this present invention is as follows'(percentages by weight):

Rayon 1.5 denier, 2| mm. long fibres 6% asbestos 15% diatomaceous silica 24.5% phenolformaldehyderesin 4.0% silica flour 50.5%

The hot top assemblies of the present invention present a number of advantages in use. They are transported and stored in flat folded condition, and this is not only economic of space, but also gives a pack which is not easily damaged or rendered useless in handling.

Another advantage lies in the fact that an entire lining assembly can be conveniently picked up, handled and inserted by a setting operator as a single unit, in comparison with hot top lining assemblies consisting of 4 to 8 separate components. The hot top setting operation can thus be done more quickly with hot top assemblies according to this invention.

When it is desired to use the hot top assembly, it is merely folded out to an open shape corresponding to the cavity to be lined, located in position and fixed there, e.g. by nailing, clips, or adhesive, or even in some cases by mere pressfitting.

Manufacture of the hot top assemblies of the present invention is straightforward. The most preferred mode of manufacture is to form by known methods a single foldable cylinder, two foldable, or four separate hot top lining slabs, arrange and tie longitudinally with a flexible tie strip. A transverse tie strip may be added in order to prevent the assembly opening out before it is desired to be used, this transverse strip being severed by the user. The longitudinal tie strip may be attached to the hot top lining slabs by, for example, staples or adhesive, or it may merely be tied or otherwise affixed round the hot top. One preferred method is to use welded polyethylene or other form of plastic strip. If desired, slabs may have depressions or grooves serving to keep the ties correctly located.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view ofa hot top assembly according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the open hot top assembly of FIG. 1.

The assembly ready for shipment thus consists of two flat slabs of heat insulating hot top lining material 1 which are face to face and which can have a folding groove 2 on their rear side. The slabs l are held together by means of tie strips 3 which encircle the slabs l longitudinally, and which locate in the optional slots 4 at the ends of the slabs. in use, the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is merely folded out to form the hot top configuration shown in FIG. 3, and fitted into a mould head or head box.

We claim as our invention:

1. A hot topping assembly consisting essentially of a closed loop of hot top lining material which may be opened from a substantially flat folded two-layer configuration to an open shape of a hollow polygonal sleeve, the hot top lining material consisting of two superimposed hot top lining slabs having fold lines, and surrounding the hot top lining material, at least one flexible closed loop strap encircling the slabs in a direcmaterial, at least one flexible closed loop strap.

* k i l 

1. A hot topping assembly consisting essentially of a closed loop of hot top lining material which may be opened from a substantially flat folded two-layer configuration to an open shape of a hollow polygonal sleeve, the hot top lining material consisting of two superimposed hot top lining slaBs having fold lines, and surrounding the hot top lining material, at least one flexible closed loop strap encircling the slabs in a direction perpendicular to the fold lines.
 2. A hot topping assembly consisting essentially of a closed loop of hot top lining material which may be opened from a substantially flat folded two-layer configuration to an open shape of a hollow polygonal sleeve, said closed loop of hot top lining material being formed of two generally rectangular slabs each having a fold line such that on folding the slabs on the fold-lines the assembly forms a hollow rectangular section hot topping sleeve, and surrounding the hot top lining material, at least one flexible closed loop strap. 